Voice from the Wildherness

Jude Neale is a teacher, classical singer, and prolific poet. She is known as a gifted and committed educator who uses poetry as the lynchpin for embracing language arts at an early age. Jude was nominated for the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Teaching (2001), and is a graduate of the Humber School of Writing in Ontario (2006), where she was mentored by acclaimed author and poet Elisabeth Harvor. She performs vocal concerts, as time allows.

Jude’s poems are like snapshots appearing on the page. They give a brief intense look at love, sex, relationships, nature and desire. She prefers to keep her poems short to better capture the moments and images that are constantly filtering through her brain. With the belief that in brevity lies power, Jude likes to start with a larger version of a poem and whittle it down to its essential self.

Jude has publishes frequently in a variety of print and online Journals, including The Antigonish Review, Ascent Aspirations, Quill, and Leaf Press. Her second volume of poetry, “Only the Fallen Can See” was published by Leaf press in 2011.

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At right, Jude is signing a publishing contract with Ekstasis Editions and publisher Richard Olafson for her upcoming new book, A Blooming. “Many thanks for giving this book life.” Jude says, “Ekstasis is such a fine publishing house. This is my 6th book! And did I say I’m excited??!!!!”

Ekstasis Editions also recently published Cantata in Two Voices, a book of poetry by Jude and her collaborator Bonnie Nish. This is a poetic journey into unknown territory as Neale and Nish reveal themselves, lose heart, win games, respond to love and ultimately exist through the friendship forged together in the process of writing. They wrote the book in fifty days together, taking turns line by line. Read a poem from the collection entitled Rebirth. See the book page here.

Jude reads her work publicly at many literary events, and continues to create poetry of uncommon beauty, simplicity and depth.

“Fresh, mesmerizing, original and exuberant (but with a necessarily haunted and dark side), these are such emotionally stunning poems that I recommend them very highly to your attention. Jude has a great sense of rhythm too, but then she’s a classically trained mezzo-soprano. She also has an uncanny way of allowing her unconscious to toss up images whose random illogic’ enchants. “

Elisabeth Harvor “The Long Cold Green Evenings of Spring”, “An Open Door In The Landscape”